Purdue football: Q&A with coach Darrell Hazell

Darrell Hazell hopes that his second season at Purdue will be better than the first.
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While at Kent State, Darrell Hazell found success in his second season as the program’s head coach after struggling in his first year.

Can Hazell repeat the same magic at Purdue after a dismal 1-11 record in his first season? The Flashes went from 5-7 to 11-3 and the program’s first bowl game in 40 years.

Any similarities?

“If there’s one thing I can speak to, it’s probably confidence in our guys. That might be the common thread,” Hazell said. “Guys look at themselves and they think, ‘You know what? We’ve got a chance to be pretty good.’ That’s the big difference.

“I heard something from one of our staff members — we’re doing presentations — what comes first, confidence or success?”

The answer will be known soon enough with the start of training camp Aug. 4 and the season opener nearly one month away.

Question: Can you sum up where this team’s mindset and attitude is today compared to last year heading into camp?

Answer: It’s incredible. I said something to (defensive coordinator Greg) Hudson (Wednesday) — we’re in such a different place right now. He looked at me and nodded. Just watching the guys work, how much confidence they have, how much fun they’re doing it with. You can’t describe how far they’ve come.

Q: What examples are you seeing?

A: If you watch the leadership roles, everybody is stepping up to be a leader and trying to hold each other accountable. Some coaches were not worried, but concerned how those players-only meetings were going to go, but that’s been a huge blessing. That’s let them take ownership of the football team. Those couple of hours a day to run the meetings and be the coaches by themselves, it’s huge.

Q: Is there a group …

A: I think you have a solid group, but you’re getting it from all levels, too. Freshmen trying to be leaders, working out and not being afraid to speak up.

Q: Who’s part of that solid group?

A: Robert Kugler, Justin Sinz, Dolapo Macarthy, Raheem Mostert, some of the quarterbacks, and defensively, Sean Robinson, Ryan Russell and even Joe Gilliam are stepping up and speaking up. You have Frankie (Williams). You have a lot more solid leadership guys.

Q: Will you be different in Year 2?

A: I don’t know. That’s an interesting question. I hope I’m not different. I hope I’m helping guys get what they need. I hope I’m not different.

Q: Let’s come from a different angle — do you approach this team differently than last year’s team? If so, how?

A: Here’s how I approach this team: Knowing them better, knowing how hard they’ve worked, I think I’ve got to do a good job of knowing when to pull back because they have pushed themselves to the limit where they’re at a point where you don’t have to beat them down in camp. You have to make sure they’re executing at a high level and get them to the games.

Q: Did you push them too much last year or not enough?

A: There’s a difference. This team’s work ethic in the summer is much different than it was last year. That’s the difference. Now, they’re flying around and executing what they need to be executing. You have to be careful so you don’t break anyone down.

Q: Still on target to name the starting quarterback after the first week of camp?

A: Yes.

Q: What will you be looking for?

A: I want to see how well they run the offense. Don’t turn it over and who really grabs it by the reins.

Q: Have you been able to gauge some of that in the summer?

A: Just what I’ve witnessed — without a ball in their hands — is their leadership. All three of them have done an unbelievable job. You feel good about that. You can watch them in the meeting rooms where you can see they really understand the offense.

Q: When your offense lines up for the first play of camp, who will be at the offensive tackle spots?

A: Jack DeBoef and J.J. Prince. We’ll have to move somebody to put pressure on Jack to see if they can beat him out. I don’t know if (JUCO transfer) David (Hedelin) can or can’t become one of the guys, but you have to put pressure on Jack those first couple of games. Note: Hedelin is facing an NCAA-imposed three-game suspension because he played club football in Sweden for two years after high school. He’s expected to challenge for a starting spot.

Q: Will fans see a lot of running backs Raheem Mostert and Akeem Hunt on the field at the same time?

A: If you can get them both on the field a lot, it creates a lot of issues. It’s pure speed and two guys that can break you down. We talk about that quite a bit, being able to play two in the backfield and also one in the backfield and one as an inside receiver.

Q: Raheem obviously has the speed, but he’s only had 43 career carries in three seasons. What’s your No. 1 question with Raheem, or do you have any questions about him?

A: I’ll have questions, but I don’t have any concerns going in. He’s got to be able to show up, because we’re going to feed the guy that ball. He’s had 43 career carries and he might get that in a game and half.

Q: Will that cut down on Akeem’s carries, or will he have a different role?

A: Akeem has to carry it for us. He’s got to carry it 15 to 20 times a game and also make four or five plays out of the slot every game and be a good return man for us.

Q: One thing you discussed last year was the lack of mental toughness. Can you look now and see that it’s better, or do you need to see it on game day?

A: You can look at individuals and see that there’s mental toughness. I look at Robert Kugler, for one, and the way he commands the guys to do it right around him. That’s mental toughness.

Q: Do you go into camp trying to get a look at all the freshmen, or have you earmarked a handful to see if they can help now?

A: My presentation (was Friday) to the staff and we have to make sure our good players are on the field and not on the sideline. That’s part of the evaluation process pretty quickly. We’re going to try to get a look at all those young guys fast.